Whose Curriculum is it? Or how do we deliberate teaching practice to relearn skills for addressing complex urban challenges in Namibia?
Authors: Gaby Hansen (Namibia University of Science and Technology), Madelein Stoffberg (Namibia University of Science and Technology), Astrid Ley (University of Stuttgart), Ute Vees (University of Stuttgart), Mohamed Salheen (Ain Shams University), Mohamed Hosny Anwar Keleg (Ain Shams University), Jennilee Kohima (Namibia University of Science and Technology)
Keywords: Informal Settlement Upgrading, Namibia, Built Environment Education, Co-production
Session 22: Unlearning the Known: Developing Future Capacities for Informal Settlement Upgrading
Friday October 25, 9:00–10:30, First Floor Seminar Room, John Moffat Building
Whose Curriculum Is It? Or How Do We Deliberate Teaching Practice to Relearn Skills for Addressing Complex Urban Challenges in Namibia?
Abstract
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the rapid urbanization and proliferation of informal settlements are worsened by outdated practices and educational approaches. To address this challenge and harness the potential of informal settlements, innovative teaching methods are crucial. Rather than providing ready-made solutions, upgrading informal settlements requires new skills and inquiry methods. This intentional teaching approach aims to cultivate deliberative practitioners (a term borrowed from the work of John Forrester) capable of facilitating collaborative planning processes. In the MSc Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design (IUSD) program in Cairo and Stuttgart, this philosophy is realized through the integration of diverse disciplinary knowledge and reality-based learning, incorporating community voices through co-production. This presentation will explore how these principles are adapted to reform teaching in Namibia, equipping students with the skills needed to localize the SDGs and informal settlements upgrading.
